Through Another's Eyes
by Deana
Summary: A MummyUC Crossover. Ardeth Bay wakes up in Chicago, 2002, surrounded by four people who think he's someone named Frank Donovan...
1. Big Trouble

Through Another's Eyes

Disclaimer: I don't own Ardeth Bay, Frank Donovan, or anyone from The Mummy or UC: Undercover. Safti is mine, as well as Shatira and Chicago PD Chief Morgan. 

Thanks to Karri for the title, (she's so good at those!)  and for begging me to write about a certain character who happened to fit into this story perfectly. (You'll see who I mean!)  And thanks to Dreamscape who helped me think up character names for the people in the UC case. 

"O'Connell!"

Rick looked up at the familiar voice, to see Ardeth Bay dismount from his horse, and walk towards him.

"Hey, Ardeth! How are ya," he said, shaking his friend's hand.

"I am well," Ardeth answered. "I was told that two men and a woman were studying these ruins." He looked past Rick at the ancient pillars. "And I had a feeling it was you."

Rick laughed. "You came two days ride on a 'feeling' that it was us?"

Ardeth smiled. "You were recognized, by the Med-jai who saw you."

"Yep," said Rick. "You know how Evy is when it comes to ancient Egyptian things."

Ardeth nodded, with a smile. "I do indeed."

Suddenly Evy came walking around one of the pillars, and stopped when she saw them watching her.

"Ardeth!" she said, coming over. "We've attracted your notice, I see!"

Ardeth nodded. "Nothing escapes the eyes of the Med-jai," he told her, with a smile.

She smiled back, before looking at the pillar in front of her. It contained beautiful symbols that she was trying to read. 

"Do you understand these, Ardeth?" she asked, pointing to a cluster that contained a sun, moon, stars, and trees that were swaying, as in blowing in the wind. 

Ardeth came closer to look, and sighed. "No one has been able to decipher them for sure. We can only guess why elements of the earth and universe were drawn on them."

"I bet that's Med-jai for, 'I dunno'," said another voice.

Everyone laughed as Jonathan came walking over. "'Afternoon, Ardeth old boy!" he said.

"Hello, Jonathan," Ardeth said. "I hope that you have the good sense not to read aloud anything you can understand."

Jonathan scowled. "Evy was the one who did that, not me!"

"Yes," Ardeth agreed. "But I am sure _she_ has learned her lesson…"

Evy laughed at their conversation. "Yes, Ardeth, I have." She looked at the pillar again, and sighed. "But I do wish I could figure out what these are here for."

"If we find anything that makes sense," said Rick. "We'll let you know, Evy."

She nodded, and continued to stare at the pillar.

Rick and Ardeth walked a short distance away. "So, how's Med-jai life?" Rick asked. "It's been, what…a whole two weeks since we saw you last?"

Ardeth smiled. "Life is always eventful when the O'Connell's are around," he said. "Whether it be for good or bad."

"Oh, ha ha," said Rick, as they stopped at another pillar. 

Ardeth saw the same symbols on this one that Evy had pointed out to him earlier, and studied them closely, running his hand over them. 

Suddenly a flash of light engulfed the small group of explorers, making them all gasp in surprise. Rick heard a startled cry and a thump, and when his vision cleared from the strange light, he saw his Med-jai friend lying on the sand, not moving.

He quickly knelt beside him. "Evy!" he yelled. "Jonathan!"

His wife and brother-in-law stumbled over, still blinking the light from their eyes, not understanding what in the world had just occurred.

"What in blue blazes was _that_?!" Jonathan shouted.

"I dunno, but it looks like it hit Ardeth," Rick said, checking his friend's pulse.

"Oh dear," Evy said, kneeling on his other side. "Was it lightning?!" she asked, nervously, checking the pulse on Ardeth's other wrist, not content to wait for Rick's assessment. 

"Where _else_ do blinding flashes of light come from?" Rick retorted.

"But he's still alive!" Jonathan said in relief, seeing the rise and fall of the Med-jai's chest.

"His pulse seems to be all right," said Evy, nervously. "A little fast, but not dangerously. Maybe it only grazed him?"

"Or maybe it just came so close that it knocked him down?" Jonathan said, hopeful.

Rick sighed. "We'll probably never know for sure. Get me some water, Jonathan, maybe it'll revive him."

Jonathan scurried to their car and brought back a canteen. 

Rick slid an arm under Ardeth's head and lifted him up, tipping the canteen so that the water touched his lips. It had no effect at all; the Med-jai was completely limp, deeply unconscious. 

"Rick…" Evy said, her voice tinged with fear. 

Rick gently lowered his friend down again, with a sigh. "I don't see anything wrong with him, Evy. None of his clothes are burned, so the lightning—if that's what it _really_ was—couldn't have hit him directly. Jonathan's probably right, it must've just knocked him down from coming so close. Maybe he hit his head when he fell."

Evy nodded, agreeing that it made sense. 

"Shouldn't we bring him back to his camp?" Jonathan asked.

"We shouldn't move him until we find out exactly what his injuries are," Evy told him, shaking her head. "We could do more harm then good."

Rick nodded. "She's right. We'll set up camp here, he'll probably wake up soon."

********************

_He felt like he was floating, in a sea of blackness. He felt nothing, thought nothing, was nothing. _

"Frank!"

_A voice, calling someone. It wasn't his name, so he didn't respond._

"Frank!"

Suddenly someone was touching his arm. Ardeth slowly opened his eyes, to see a woman with short hair and ice blue eyes looking down at him.

"Frank!" she said, nervously. "Are you all right?"

Ardeth frowned, as he looked up at her, blinking groggily. He heard footsteps, and saw a man come running towards them, throwing himself to his knees beside the woman. 

"What happened?" the man asked her.

"I dunno, I just found him lying here. Frank?"

Ardeth realized that these people thought him to be someone else. His mind was so hazy that he felt that he had no choice but to play along. "I am all right, Alex." _Alex? How did I know her name?_

Suddenly gunshots were heard, and the man grabbed his arm. "We gotta get him outta here!"

Alex grabbed Ardeth/Frank's other arm, and they pulled him up, keeping death grips on his arms as they led him at a run out of the strange structure they were under.

Suddenly bullets were whizzing by their heads, and they quickly dropped behind some large crates, pulling out guns and shooting back.

Ardeth realized that he had a gun too; in a holster not unlike the one Rick liked to wear. He took it out and fired in the direction of the shots, almost stopping in surprise at how different the gun looked then what he was used to. 

Suddenly the shooting stopped.

"Got him," said Alex. "Cody, Monica, it's clear."

"On our way."

Ardeth jumped when he heard the disembodied voice in his right ear. He yanked the earpiece out and stared at it, before realizing something else. The others looked at him strangely when he raised a hand to feel that he had short hair, rather then his usual slightly longer then shoulder length.

"Hey boss, you sure you're okay?" 

"Yes, Jake." _How do I know the names of these people?_ he wondered._ This is impossible; I am the leader of the Med-jai, not this 'Frank' that they think me to be!_

Suddenly a van pulled up, and a black woman came out. Strange wailing sounds could be heard in the distance, and Ardeth wondered what they were. 

The woman, _Monica_, Ardeth thought, with growing confusion. She ran over to where he stood. 

"What happened to you?" she asked. "We were calling you and you didn't answer, and then Alex finds you unconscious! Did the guy have an accomplice?"

Ardeth just looked at her, trying to make sense of her words, and the entire situation. He had a gun, as did everyone else. They were running from shooters, and seemed to have the right to shoot back. He realized with shock that he wasn't in Cairo, from the looks of the surroundings. _Where am I?_

"Frank?" 

He looked back at Monica, realizing that she had asked him a question. "I…am not sure what happened," he admitted. 

She looked at him, concerned. Before she had a chance to say anything else, a voice came from behind him.

"Ah, Donovan, looks like you got our man."

Ardeth spun around, to see what was obviously a police officer. 

"Good job," said the cop, shaking Ardeth's hand. "He's alive, and will be put away for a long time, thanks to you and your team. We can never repay you."

Ardeth had no idea what to say. He realized that he was obviously in some kind of law enforcement, and seemingly higher up then the policeman. "Thank you," he said. 

The officer nodded and turned, going back to where Ardeth could see people kneeling beside the man they'd shot.

Alex came walking back over, Jake behind her. She looked back at the scene, and muttered, "Cop killer."

Ardeth understood now why the policeman was so grateful. 

Someone suddenly came barreling out of the van, slightly startling Ardeth.

"It's over!" Cody said. "Can we go get lunch now?"

Jake laughed, and they all started for the van.

Ardeth stood there for a minute, trying to figure out what exactly he was expected to do. It appeared that he was the head of this team. _I am in big trouble, as Rick would say. _He noticed that they left the front passenger seat empty, so he assumed it was his regular seat. Getting in, he looked around in shock at how different the inside of this vehicle was then Rick's car. Suddenly it occurred to him that the steering wheel was on the left side, and the people all had American accents! _How did I come to be in America?!_ All he could do was sit there, in utter shock, as Jake pulled the van out of the parking lot. 


	2. Utter Confusion

"Where am I going?" Jake asked, as he drove down the street.

"Burger King!" Cody said, from the back.

"Ching Chang's!" said Monica.

"Marcello's!" said Alex.

"Wherever we go, can we eat inside instead of going through the drive through, Frank?" Cody asked.

Ardeth frowned, wondering what a 'drive through' was. No one protested, so he glanced back at Cody, nodding.

"Wait a minute," said Monica. "Frank got hurt! You never told me if you were all right," she said.

"_Or_ what happened to you," said Alex.

Ardeth sighed. How could he explain to them that he was not the person they thought him to be? _How could something like this have happened? _He thought. _Is it possible that I am dreaming? No, it all seems too real._ Ardeth tried to figure out how to correctly phrase his answer. 

Jake came up with an opinion for his hesitation. "You get hit from behind?"

Ardeth realized that that was probably the only answer that they would accept. He nodded.

"Ouch," Cody commented. "How's your head?"

Ardeth found to his surprise that his head actually hurt. _Did 'Frank' really get hit, or is it an after-affect from whatever apparently put me into his body?_ He almost told them again that he was fine, but realized that if they knew him to be in pain, then they might let go whatever uncharacteristic things he said or did; as he had no idea what Frank's personality was really like. "It hurts," he said. 

Everyone looked at him, in surprise. _Is this 'Frank' a person who does not usually admit to pain? _He thought. _That is good; I may get away with more, as Rick would say. _He smiled inwardly to see that it was obviously a good thing he'd been around Rick so much, and heard his American phrases. 

"Maybe we _should_ go through the drive through," said Alex, concerned about 'Frank'. 

"I still don't know where I'm going," said Jake. "Frank, you pick." 

Ardeth was stumped. He tried to remember the names of the places the team had suggested, and only remembered the odd sounding one. "Ching Changs?" he said.

Cody laughed. "You knew he'd pick that one, Jake. Chinese _is_ his favorite."

Ardeth inwardly sighed in relief at his luck, in accidentally making the right choice.

They were pulling into the parking lot a minute later, and Jake parked. "Who's getting the food?" he asked. 

Ardeth suddenly realized that if they asked him what he wanted, he had no idea what to say. "We can all go in," he said.

"You sure?" Jake asked.

He nodded, and they all got out of the van.

Ardeth was in utter shock when he stepped into the restaurant, at the sight of the bizarre Chinese décor. They were seated and given menus, and when Ardeth opened his, he almost dropped it when he realized the dishes were in Chinese. _Now what am I to do?_ he thought.

"Frank, you're getting the sweet and sour chicken, right?" Alex asked.

_That must be what Frank usually orders,_ Ardeth thought. "Yes," he said.

"Good, you wanna split that and Moo Goo?"

Ardeth blinked. _Moo Goo?_ He nodded, figuring it must be something Frank'd eaten in the past, for Alex to ask him. 

A man came and took their orders, and Ardeth couldn't help but wonder how 'his' team could be so nonchalant at what they had been in the middle of a short time ago. _Situations like that must be the norm for them._

When the man returned with their food, Ardeth was shocked at the amount of it. A dish was set in front of him, obviously containing his sweet & sour chicken. He stared at the round shaped things, not seeing any chicken. 

Alex reached over and grabbed his plate, spooning half of the round objects onto an empty dish, and replacing them with a pile of…something. She pushed over a dish of orange liquid for him, keeping her own. 

Ardeth took his plate back, and watched as Alex cut one of the balls in half, and dipped it in the orange liquid. He did the same, hesitating slightly before he put it into his mouth. His eyes opened in surprise when he saw how good it was, and he ate another piece, before trying the Moo Goo. 

Jake started to laugh, and Ardeth looked up to see that Cody was trying to eat rice with two sticks. He frowned in confusion, before he saw that everyone had been given a pair. When he saw the difficulty Cody was having, he opted not to try them himself. 

When everyone was finished, Ardeth felt so full, he couldn't believe it. _I understand why this is Frank's preferred food,_ he thought. 

The waiter came and left a piece of paper on the table, along with 5 small objects wrapped in plastic. 

"Whose turn to pay?" asked Cody.

Ardeth felt a flash of panic; he didn't understand American money. If it was _his_ turn…

"Jake's," Alex and Monica both said. 

"Yeah, I always get it when we spend the most!" said Jake.

Ardeth sighed in utter relief, louder then he intended.

Everyone looked at him, in concern for his head; mistaking the sigh for a pain complaint. Jake put the money on the table, and everyone stood to leave. 

As they got back into the van, Cody handed something to Ardeth, and he saw it to be one of the small plastic-wrapped objects. He heard crunching sounds, and Alex laugh.

"You will be swept off your feet by the man of your dreams," she said.

"Ohh, you got a good one," said Monica. "Mine says, 'Wisdom is not born, but attained'."

"Mine says, 'Confucius say, always look both ways before crossing the street'," Cody told them.

Everyone started laughing, and Ardeth wasn't sure if he was joking or not. He opened his cookie, and broke it like Cody had. Taking the piece of paper out, he stared in shock at what it said. "You will take an interesting journey," he read. 

"Cool!" said Cody. "Can I come? I could use a vacation."

Everyone laughed at him. 

Ardeth put the paper in a pocket, and ate the cookie. _At least I'll be well fed while I am here,_ he thought. He watched the passing cars as Jake drove, in awe at the shocking differences in the designs, from Rick's car and others he had seen. Suddenly a shocking thought struck him. _This does not look like 1934…_

"Frank?"

Ardeth jumped slightly, realizing that Alex had been talking to him, but he hadn't heard what she'd said. He turned around to look at her.

"Do you want some aspirin?" she repeated. 

Ardeth realized that he must've gasped aloud, at his realization that he wasn't in his normal time, and she'd thought it was because of his aching head. "Please," he said. 

Alex frowned, as she dug through her purse. She couldn't understand how he'd been hit from behind; the man they were after was murderous, and would never have let Frank live. But odd or not, she was thankful that he was alive.

Jake pulled up at the nest, and they all got out. As Alex handed Frank the pills, she saw that he looked pale. 

"Maybe you should go get looked at, Frank," she said.

He looked at her with a frown. "Looked at?"

Alex blinked. He asked it as if he didn't understand what she meant. "By a doctor, duh."

"Ah," he said, as they walked into the building. All he needed was to not recognize his own doctor and not know how to answer any of his questions. They would know something was wrong, and probably keep him in the hospital. "No, I am fine."

_Sure you are,_ she thought. She hung back and watched him, as he stood looking around as if he'd never been there before. 

Glancing back at her, and seeing her watching him, Ardeth picked a direction to walk in, hoping to find water to drink with the pills. 

"Frank."

Ardeth turned to see Monica standing there with two bottles of water, one of which she handed him. 

"Thank you," Ardeth said, in relief that he didn't have to wander aimlessly now. He watched as everyone walked over to a table, sitting down at it. Realizing that he was supposed to follow, he did, and everyone stared at him as he sat down. 

They all waited for him to speak, but he drank his water instead—after figuring out how to open it—stalling, as he had no idea what was expected of him. _I am obviously the leader of this team, _he thought. _As so, they are expecting something of me. _He tried to figure out what. _We have just returned from capturing a criminal, they must be waiting for me to speak of it. _"That man will never kill again," he said, convincingly, he hoped.

"You can say _that_ again!" said Cody. "He thought he'd get away with killing cops? Not while _we're_ on the case!"

_Ah, _Ardeth thought. _We are a special unit that works on particular cases. _

Jake looked around the table. "Where's his file?"

"I put it on Frank's desk," said Cody. 

_Frank's desk?_ Ardeth thought. _I don't know where his office is…_ "Would you get it, Cody?" he asked.

Cody nodded, and jumped up from the table.

Ardeth was relieved that he could watch where Cody went, without having to make it obvious.

Cody ran up the stairs, and into Frank's office. Grabbing the file, he ran back, and handed it to Ardeth. 

Ardeth looked at it, his nervousness growing. _What am I supposed to do? What does Frank do?_ His head started to hurt worse thanks to his anxiety, as he opened the file. The first thing he saw was a picture of a dead body. There were a lot of papers behind it, and Ardeth knew there was no way he could do what was expected of him, as he had no idea what that _was_. 

Ardeth put the file down and rubbed his forehead. "Would you all mind if we did this tomorrow?" he asked. 

The others looked at him in surprise, and concern. "Sure, Frank," said Monica. 

Ardeth got up, and started to walk to Frank's office. Suddenly remembering the file, he picked it up, and took it with him.

The rest of the team looked at each other. 

"Boy is he acting weird," said Cody.

"He must've gotten hit hard," said Alex. "Number 1," she said, counting on her fingers. "He admitted it to us. Number 2, he accepted my aspirins. Number 3, he's holed up in his office, instead of wrapping up the case!" 

"Not like Frank at all," Jake agreed. "I don't like it."

"I don't understand how he _only_ got whacked," said Monica. "That guy was a psycho cop killer. For him to sneak up on Frank, knock him out, and let him keep his _gun_, for goodness sake, makes no sense at all!" 

Everyone was silent for a minute.

"What if he _wasn't_ hit?" said Alex.

"Huh?" said Cody.

"What if he passed out or something, from something _medically_ wrong with him?" Alex said. 

That statement made them all even more nervous.

"Should we leave him alone, or go see if he's okay?" wondered Cody.

Alex stood. "I say we go see."


	3. Doomed! LOL

Ardeth found Frank's office, and immediately sat down in the chair with a sigh, resting his elbows on the desk.

_How did I get here? How do I get back? How will I manage to function as this Frank Donovan? His people will know that something is amiss, if they do not already._

So engrossed was he, with his thoughts, that he didn't hear the footsteps on the stairs. 

"Frank?"

Ardeth jumped, despite himself. 

The team all came into the room, alarmed to see himwith his head in his hands. Alex immediately went over to him and started feeling the back of his head.

"What are you doing?" he asked, trying to pull away.

"Looking for a bump," she answered, yanking on his shoulder to keep him in the chair and stop him from moving. 

Ardeth sighed, wondering if she would find one. 

"There's nothing there," she said, "Are you _sure_ he really hit you?"

_They never stop asking me questions, _he thought. _I am not sure if Frank was hit or not. If I tell them now that the man didn't hit me, after saying that he had, then they'll think something else is wrong, and take me to a hospital._ "Yes," he said. "He hit me."

Alex moved her hand lower, to his neck. "Did he hit your head or the back of your neck?

Ardeth sighed. "I am not sure."

"Wow are you tense," Alex commented, as she massaged the base of his neck with her thumbs.

Ardeth winced at the pain it caused, but then sighed in relief and closed his eyes when it started to feel wonderful. It seemed like it went on forever, but she stopped all too soon. He opened his eyes slowly, to see everyone quietly watching, anxiously. "Thank you," he said to Alex, wondering at the fascinating gift she had in her hands.

"Anytime," she said, still giving him a concerned look.

"Why don't you go home, Frank," Monica suggested. 

_Home? Where do 'I' live?_

The team wasn't sure _what_ to call the look on his face, being used to Frank always controlling his emotions in a convincing mask. 

"Frank, you're starting to scare us!" Alex blurted. 

Ardeth looked up at her, contrite. "I am sorry," he said. "I…" he wasn't sure what to say that they would accept for an explanation. "Tired. I'm tired."

The team exchanged glances. "Sudden tiredness? That's a sign of concussion," said Monica.

"No," Ardeth said. "I did not get much sleep last night. That's all."

Jake shook his head. "Is _that _why you were snuck up on so easily? You should've _told_ us this morning! You could've been a liability to us, out there! Not to mention yourself."

Ardeth didn't know what to say. These people didn't know the truth, and wouldn't believe it even if he told them.

"You seemed fine this morning," said Monica, suspicious that he was hiding something.

"But that was _before_ he got knocked out," Cody pointed out.

"Call it a day, Frank," Jake said, firmly.

Ardeth nodded, realizing that this was his chance to study the file before he had to discuss the case they had been handling. He stood, and walked towards the door.

"Frank, your keys," said Alex, taking them off his desk and holding them out.

_Keys? _Ardeth thought, staring at them. _I have to drive a car! To an address I don't know!_

Alex frowned, at Frank's strange look. 

"Can you drive me?" he asked, bringing a hand up to rub his forehead. 

Alex nodded. "Of course." She looked at Jake. "Wanna follow?"

Jake nodded, knowing that someone had to take Alex back to her car after she dropped Frank off with his.

"Wish _we_ could go home early," Cody quipped.

"Go ahead," said Ardeth, as he walked out the door.

Cody did a double take. "Uh, boss…did you just say _we_ can go home too?"

Ardeth turned to face him. "Yes. Go home." He didn't see any point of them staying there if he—their boss—was leaving.

"Wow, now we _know_ something's wrong with him!" Cody whispered to Monica. 

"Alex," Monica whispered.

Alex turned to look at her, and nodded, seeming to know what Monica was trying to tell her.

Ardeth let Alex pass him so that he could follow her, as he had no idea which vehicle was Frank's. When she led him to the silver and black car in the parking lot, Ardeth had to admit to himself that it was pretty nice looking. They got in, and Alex drove off.

Ardeth tried to memorize the scenery, knowing that he needed to quickly get familiar with the city. He didn't notice the looks Alex kept shooting his way.

_He doesn't even notice that we aren't going towards his apartment, _Alex thought.

Ardeth said nothing through the whole ride, and when Alex pulled into a parking lot, he wondered why she was stopping there. Instead of asking, since Frank would most likely be able to figure it out, he looked at the signs of the buildings. _Chicago Urgent Care? That sounds like a medical facility…_

"Alex…" he said.

"No, Frank, I don't wanna hear it! You've been acting weird ever since you woke up, from whatever it is that happened to you. If you were in my shoes, you would do the same."

Jake had pulled in beside them, and gone over to the car. He heard what Alex said, and thought that 'Frank' was protesting, so he opened the door and took his arm.

"She's right, Frank. Now, come with us quietly, or we'll have you arrested," he said with a smile, hoping Frank would laugh.

_Arrested? _Ardeth thought he was serious until he saw Jake's smile. Seeing that he had no choice, he got out of the car, and they both held onto his arms as if afraid he would suddenly bolt.

"He needs to see a doctor right away," said Alex, as they reached the receptionist desk.

"He'll have to sign in and wait his turn," the woman replied, gesturing to the waiting room full of patients.

Alex pulled out her badge, and stuck it in the woman's face. "He needs to see a doctor _now_!"

"Oh, uh…" the woman was flustered at seeing the DOJ badge. "Well," she picked up a clipboard and a pen. "What's his name?"

"Frank Donovan."

"Date of birth?"

"Nov 23, 1970."

Ardeth's jaw nearly dropped. _1970? Then what year is it now? _He stood there, silently, grateful that the woman was asking Alex the questions, and not himself, since he didn't know most of the answers. 

"What's wrong with him?"

"Someone may've knocked him out."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "May have?"

Alex sighed. "We were trying to catch a criminal and I found him unconscious on the ground. He thinks he was hit, but isn't exactly sure."

The receptionist looked at Frank. _What a handsome man!_ she thought. "Any strange symptoms?" 

Alex sighed again, this time in exasperation. "Yes! That's _why_ we're here! Can he see a doctor, already?"

"All right!" The receptionist stood and ran down the hall.

Jake laughed. He'd stayed silent all that time, enjoying watching Alex intimidate the woman. 

The receptionist came right back. "Follow me, please."

Ardeth sighed. _As Jonathan would say, I am bloody well doomed!_


	4. Busted! LOL

"Humm," said the doctor, as he read what the receptionist had written on the clipboard. "Got a pretty dangerous job there."

Ardeth nodded, sighing inwardly. Alex and Jake had tried to follow when the receptionist had taken him to a room, and she'd had to practically keep Alex back by force. _Is she in love with Donovan, or just protective of her friend? _he wondered. Ardeth actually wished they'd let her stay. He was very nervous, knowing the doctor would ask him something he couldn't answer.

"So, you got hit on the head?"

"I…think so," Ardeth answered, lamely. 

"Humm," the doctor said, taking an object that looked like a pen, and shining a light into his eyes.

Ardeth flinched, not comprehending what he was doing. Knowing that the doctor had to be doing it for a reason, he tried to keep his eyes open until the doctor took the light away, and blinked furiously as the doctor checked his pulse. When he checked his blood pressure next, Ardeth couldn't help but stare in amazed confusion, not understanding it at all.

"What's your name?" the doctor suddenly asked.

"A—Frank Donovan," he said, catching himself.

"Age?"

Ardeth paused. _Why is he asking me, when he read what the woman wrote on the paper? _He sighed. _Alex said Frank was born in 1970…what year is it now? _He had to say something though, so he gave his own age. "32?"

The doctor looked at him. "You said that as if it were a question."

Ardeth laughed nervously, and the doctor kept up his examination, so he assumed Frank to miraculously be the same age as he was.

"What day is it?"

Ardeth blinked. _Oh no…_

The doctor looked at him. "What day is it?" he repeated, thinking he hadn't heard him.

Ardeth had no choice but to guess, and he felt that his luck had just run out. "Tuesday?"

The doctor frowned. "Noooo."

Ardeth sighed. Should he go backwards, or forward? "Wednesday?"

The doctor shook his head, a grave look on his face. "What was yesterday?" He watched as the confusion on his patient's face grew at this new question.

_What was yesterday in my own time? _"Sunday?

The doctor shook his head. 

Ardeth lowered his head with yet another sigh. _I seem to be doing that a lot. _"I have no idea, doctor."

"Today is Thursday," the doctor told him. "Can you tell me the year?" 

Ardeth thought for a minute. _If Frank was born in 1970, and is 32 years old, then the year would be…_ "2002?!"

The doctor frowned, at his patient's apparent shock at the year. He shook his head, crossing his arms. "I found no sign of a concussion…until now. If that is in fact what's wrong with you." 

Ardeth tried not to sigh. _I am doing a bad job of convincing everyone._

"I'd like to take some blood, make sure nothing else is wrong."

_Take some blood?_

The doctor saw the apprehensive look in his face. It only served to make him more concerned; Frank had been in there before with injuries, and the doc knew that he'd been shot, stabbed, and even lost his spleen. It was not normal for the man to be afraid of a needle; after having gone through all that, a blood test should be a piece of cake for him. He got a syringe, and went back over to his patient.

Ardeth watched him like a hawk, wondering what he was about to do, slightly nervous about it. 

"Roll up your sleeve."

Ardeth obeyed, for the first time really noticing the clothes that he was wearing. _Black, _he thought. _At least it is a color I am used to._

The doctor tied the elastic around his arm, and waited for the vein to show. When it did, he stuck in the needle.

Ardeth gasped when he did it; not so much in pain, but in surprise and amazement as he watched the blood fill the tube.

The doctor glanced at him, noting the shocked expression. "You aren't gonna faint, are you?" he asked.

Ardeth shook his head, wordlessly. 

When the doctor was finished, he put gauze and a band-aid over the tiny hole. Looking at Frank, he saw that he was pale, and he assumed it was because of his injury combined with losing the blood; he'd taken a lot, wanting to run a bunch of tests. "Why don't you lie down for a minute? I'll be right back."

Ardeth nodded, and obeyed. He put his right hand over his eyes, blocking out the bright lights in the ceiling. For a minute he didn't think. The events of the day were too mind boggling, too bizarre. He felt dazed, in a stupor; stuck in a state of staggering bewilderment. 

The doctor was talking right outside the door, but he didn't even notice.

********************

"He couldn't tell you what day it was?!" Alex gasped.

The doctor shook his head.

"He told us he was exhausted," Jake told him. "He didn't sleep last night."

The doctor sighed. "I prescribe rest for him, for at least the next few days. When you take him home, make him drink some juice; I took a lot of blood, to run some tests."

"So do you think he _does_ have a concussion, or what?" Alex asked.

The doctor shrugged. "I found no outward signs, but his not knowing what day it is—despite making three guesses—and seeming shocked at the year, not to mention seeming to guess at his own age…" 

Alex and Jake looked at each other, nervously.

The doctor shrugged. "Take him home, keep an eye on him. Can one of you stay with him and wake him in the middle of the night, so that if he _does_ have a concussion, he doesn't slip into a coma?"

Alex nodded. 

"Good." The doctor sighed, with a shrug. "I'll run the tests, and give one of you a call, if you give me a phone number."

Alex reached out to take the pen off the clipboard the doc was still holding, and wrote it on the paper. "That's my cell."

"All right. He's lying down in there, you can take him now."

"Thanks, doc," said Jake, as they passed him and went into the room.

Ardeth heard the door open, and peeked under his hand to see Alex and Jake come in. 

"How do you feel, Frank?" Jake asked.

"All right," he answered, sitting up.

"Come on, let's get you home," Alex said, taking his arm. Suddenly her cell phone rang, and she picked it up as they walked out the door.

"Alex! Did you take him to a doctor?" 

"Yeah, Monica. They said he may have a concussion, they aren't exactly sure. They took some blood to run some tests." She waited while Monica repeated the information to Cody. It sounded to her like they were in a restaurant. "Don't tell me you two got hungry again so soon?"

"Cody wanted ice cream," Monica explained. "Tell Frank we said to take it easy. If you want me to come over and help you mother hen, let me know."

Alex laughed. "Okay." She hung up the phone, as they reached the car.

Ardeth watched her put the phone away, amazed that people had such a capability. _A telephone that can be brought everywhere you go? _He was silent during the ride as he thought about the many changes he was seeing.

Alex glanced at him, seeing him fingering the site of his blood test while he stared out the window. "What are you thinking, Frank?"

Ardeth wasn't sure how to answer, so he shook his head at her, as if to say 'nothing', before turning back to the window.

Alex looked at him for a few seconds, trying to figure out what was up with him. With a sigh, she looked back to the road.

She finally pulled the car into the parking lot of a tall building, and parked. As Ardeth got out, his headache increased, and his neck began to feel stiff. _Is it possible that something is wrong with me—with Frank? I seem to be worsening, for whatever reason…maybe I should ask Alex to do again what she did earlier in Frank's office._

Alex and Jake noticed him rubbing the back of his neck as they rode in the elevator; another thing that fascinated Ardeth.

"Your neck hurt?" Alex asked him, as they walked down the hall, Ardeth trying to stay behind them so they could lead them to the right door. "Even after my massage?"

_Ah, that is what they call it. _He nodded, with a wince. "It feels…stiff."

Alex shot Jake an apprehensive look. "Headache, stiff neck? Frank," she stopped in the middle of the hall. "Are you sure you got hit? Those could both be symptoms of serious illness."

Ardeth sighed, saying nothing.

Alex echoed the sigh as she stopped in front of a door, and unlocked it. Ardeth followed them in, trying not to look amazed at the surroundings in the apartment. 

"Go lie down, Frank. I'll bring you something to drink," Alex told him.

Thankfully, Ardeth found the bedroom easily, and sat on the bed. Closing his eyes, he realized how tired he was. _Maybe what I said is true, and Frank really did not get much sleep last night. Maybe I am just tired. _He lay down, and was nearly asleep when he heard Alex come in.

"Drink it all," she said.

Ardeth sat up, frowning at what she handed him. It was a tall glass of an orange fluid. He almost asked what it was, before realizing that if it was in Frank's home, than Frank must like it. He took a sip, and was surprised to see that it tasted good. He obeyed Alex, and drank it all. As he handed her the glass, she refilled it, instead of taking it away. Looking up at her, she gave him a stern look, and he drank some of it, before handing it back to her.

"Good enough, I guess," she said, putting the glass on the night table. "Hungry?"

Ardeth shook his head as he lay back down. _After that meal, I do not think I shall be hungry again for a while._

"Take a nap," she said. His eyes were already closed, as he did just that.

As they left the room, Jake said to Alex, "A headache and stiff neck could just be stress and tension."

"But not when combined with such bizarre behavior," she answered. "Do you really think he was hit, or do you think something's wrong with him?" 

Jake shrugged. "Wish I knew. He's acting strange, no doubt."

Alex nodded. "Yeah. I guess we'll know eventually."


	5. Man of Steel

"Still not awake yet?"

Evy shook her head. "No."

Rick knelt next to their fallen Med-jai friend, who was still out cold, showing no signs of waking. 

"It's been hours, Rick. I'm really starting to get nervous," Evy said, as she wiped cool water over Ardeth's face and forehead.

"Yeah," he agreed. He looked up as Jonathan approached them; carrying the supper he'd cooked over the campfire. Rick shivered when a breeze kicked up. "Help me move him closer to the fire," he told his brother-in-law.

Nodding, Jonathan handed Evy the plates, and he and Rick carefully pulled Ardeth a little closer. 

Rick studied his friend's face, with the light from the flames. "Ardeth?" he said, tapping his cheek lightly.

He got no response. 

"I don't understand it!" Evy exclaimed. "His pulse is fine, his breathing is fine…he just won't wake up. What _was_ that thing that zapped him?"

The three of them shared anxious looks. 

"Come on, chaps," Jonathan said. "I'm sure the old boy is fine. Like you said, Evy, his pulse and breathing are all right. It's probably just a matter of moments before we hear him asking us what happened."

"I hope you're right, Jonathan," Evy sighed, heavily. "I hope you're right."

********************

"Frank?"

Ardeth jumped, startled. Opening his eyes, he saw a woman looking down at him. She asked him a question, but he didn't quite hear it, and went back to sleep. 

Alex sighed, and looked at Jake, who'd likewise stayed the night. 

"At least he woke up," Jake said. "I mean, the guy's tired, for goodness sake."

Alex nodded, but sighed as she sat on the end of the bed. "I dunno, Jake, I just keep getting the feeling that something's really wrong," she whispered.

Jake echoed her sigh. Alex was an emotional woman, and a caring one at that. "Come on," he said. "This is Frank Donovan we're talking about. You know, the 'Man of Steel'."

She half-smiled at him. "Yeah. But even steel can rust."

********************

The next morning, the first sound they heard out of 'Frank' was a groan.

"Oh no," said Alex, running into his room, from the kitchen. "Frank? What is it?"

Ardeth opened his eyes, to be greeted once again by the sight of the short-haired woman. _Frank? _he thought, confused. _My name is Ardeth Bay. Who is…? _Realization suddenly dawned on him. _I thought it to be a dream, a bizarre dream. He sighed, feeling his head pounding and his body aching. __But no, I am really here…and I feel horrible. _

"Frank?" Alex repeated. "What's wrong?"

Ardeth looked up at the two people staring nervously down at him. Remembering who they were, and where he was, he said, "Something _is _wrong with me."

Alex and Jake looked at each other in alarm. For Frank to admit something like that, it had to be bad. Before either of them had a chance to say anything, Alex's cell phone rang. When she saw what was on the caller ID, she hurriedly answered. "Hello? Yes…what?! What do we do?"

Jake stared at Alex, knowing it to be the doctor Frank had seen, and he'd obviously just told Alex some bad news.

Alex ran a hand through her hair. "All right. Thanks, doctor." She hung up.

"Well?" Jake said.

"Frank has West Nile Virus!"

"What?!" Jake exclaimed. 

_West Nile Virus? _Ardeth thought. _A disease that will be discovered in the West Nile region of Africa? _"What did the doctor say to do?" he asked, nervously.

"He wants us to take you back in, so he can have another look at you and give you medicine," Alex said, taking his arm and tugging on it to get him out of the bed.

Ardeth blinked. "I can dress myself!"

Alex laughed, covering her mouth with her other hand. "I would _hope _so! I was just trying to help you up!"

Ardeth blinked again, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Ah…"

********************

When they arrived at the clinic, the receptionist took one look at them and ran down the hall to summon the doctor. Coming back quickly, she motioned for them to follow her. Watching as they went into the room, she didn't prevent Alex and Jake from going in with 'Frank' this time. She sighed in sympathy to see the extremely good-looking man walking slowly, looking weak and obviously hurting, as his two friends held onto his arms.

The doctor came in, and they told him the new symptoms.

"This is the first time I ever saw a real human case of West Nile!" the doctor told them, almost excitedly. "It's contracted by being bitten by an infected mosquito. Usually the people who actually get sick are very old, very young, or have compromised immune systems. You fall into that last category because you lack your spleen*, which would've protected you if you still had it. This explains why you couldn't tell me what day it was, yesterday. West Nile can cause confusion and disorientation…"

Ardeth said nothing as the doctor blabbed on, wishing the man would just give him the medicine so he could feel better. Suddenly, something the doctor said stood out. "I have no spleen?" he blurted, without thinking. 

Alex and Jake looked at him, in shock.

"See? It's the virus talking!" said the doctor, still sounding excited.

Ardeth sighed. His whole body ached, especially his legs and neck. His head was throbbing and his arms felt too heavy. He felt cold, and was willing to bet that he had a fever. _While I sit here dying, this doctor talks about my problem like some beautiful work of art._

His friends heard his sigh, and threw concerned looks at him. 

"Doc," said Jake. "Can you give us the prescription so we can get him home?"

"Oh! Yes, of course." The doctor scribbled on a piece of paper, and handed it to him.

"Wow," said Jake, as he looked at the paper. "Doctor writing that I can actually read."

The doctor laughed. "Yeah. Too often a patient gets the wrong medicine thanks to doctor's chicken scratch. Follow the directions on the bottles, and he should recover."

"Should?" said Alex, with a frown.

The doctor shrugged. "There's no exact cure for West Nile. Those medicines will help to control the symptoms."

"Oh," Alex replied, sounding upset at the news. 

"He should be all right, but if his fever rises, or he worsens in any way, then don't hesitate to take him to a hospital," said the doctor.

They nodded at him. "Thanks, doc," Jake said, as they helped Ardeth off the table, keeping their hands on his arms as they left.

"Anytime," the doc said. After they walked out, he shook his head. "West Nile Virus…I gotta report this to the Health Department!" he said, excitedly, running to a phone.

*My UC story: 'Caught in the Middle' http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=642601


	6. Mumbo Jumbo? lol

Despite how sick he felt, Ardeth saw the one good thing about the situation. He now had a 'reason' for Frank to act uncharacteristic.

As he lay there in bed, he kept experiencing a disorientation he assumed to be from the West Nile. One minute he thought he was Frank, the next he knew he was Ardeth Bay. _Perhaps Frank's mind if still in this body, somehow?_ he wondered. _Even with mine here?_ Before he had a chance to figure it out, he fell asleep.

"Poor Frank," said Monica, as she and Cody had come to check on their boss. "At least now we know why he was acting so weird."

"Yeah," said Alex, as she turned the teapot off. "Thank God we insisted on having him see a doctor."

"Hey, people," they suddenly heard Cody yell. "You might wanna come in here!"

Everyone dropped what they were doing and ran into Frank's room. They saw the problem without having to ask. 'Frank' was mumbling in his sleep. The odd thing about it was that they couldn't understand the language he was speaking.

"La…" they heard. "Ash in-naharda itqatil bukra!"

"Wow," Monica whispered. "What language is that?"

"I dunno," said Jake. "Is he delirious, or just dreaming?"

Alex felt his forehead. "His fever isn't high. Dreaming, I guess."

"La!" Ardeth said again. Suddenly he seemed to grow agitated. "Nagga il bint, qatil il masikh!"

"Wake him up!" said Alex, as she started to gently shake him. It took a few tries before it worked, and Ardeth woke up startled, breathing heavily.

"Frank? Are you all right?" Monica asked.

Ardeth just stared at them for a minute, trying to decide who he was_. My name is Ardeth Bay. No, it's Frank Donovan!_ Ardeth didn't answer at first; too confused_. I am the leader of the Med-jai, in Egypt…no, I am the leader of an undercover unit in America…_

"Frank?" they all said, in unison.

He took a deep breath, letting it out noisily. "I am all right," he said. 

"Were you having a nightmare?" Alex asked.

Ardeth thought back to his dream. It contained the events of when Imhotep had been raised the first time. _I am Ardeth Bay…_ it all suddenly came back to him._ I am stuck in Frank Donovan's body!_ He abruptly remembered Alex question. "Yes," he answered. 

"What the _heck_ kind of language was that?" Cody asked him.

"Language?" He hadn't realized he'd been talking in his sleep; he knew that if he did it'd most likely be in his native Egyptian Arabic. 

"Yeah, you were saying a bunch of mumbo jumbo," Cody answered. "I know you speak a few languages, boss, but I never heard you say anything that sounded like that."

_Mumbo jumbo?_ Ardeth realized he needed to 'play dumb', and change the subject before they pressed him to find out what it was. Seeing the glass Alex had left on the night table, he reached for it to see if there was anything left in it.

"Want a drink?" Alex asked.

Ardeth nodded, and she left the room. "You do not all have to stay," he told the team. "I _am_ capable of taking care of myself."

Cody started to laugh, and elbowed Jake. "You know, he's right. Why don't we leave the girls here to mother hen, and we go find some girls to mother hen _us_!" 

Jake laughed, while Monica slapped Cody upside the head. "West Nile can be serious! Don't you care?"

Cody pouted. "Of course we care! But he _is_ a grown man…"

He was interrupted by Alex coming in again with a bottle of water and another glass of orange juice. "What's this talk of grown men? I don't see any," she said.

Cody stuck his tongue out at her, and this time Jake slapped him upside the head. "Hey, don't be rude to ladies."

Cody shook his head. "What is this, 'Pick on Cody Day'?"

Everyone laughed at him.

"I was telling them that you can all go home," Ardeth told Alex, still smiling at Cody's silliness.

Alex made a face at him. "Go home? You need _someone_ to stay with you! People can _die_ from West Nile!"

"People can die from the flu, too," Ardeth countered. _The 'flu'? What is that? Is Frank's mind really still here, and that was him talking?_ He suddenly had a scary thought. _Could Frank's mind fight for control of this body? If he does, and wins, what happens to mine?_

Alex gave an exasperated sigh as she put the bottle of water on the night table, and handed him the glass. "Drink your juice and get some sleep. The sooner you get better, the sooner I'll be gone." She smiled at that last part, and everyone laughed again, knowing how much Frank hated to be mother henned.

Ardeth sighed as he slowly sat up, to take the juice. He'd been hoping they would leave him alone so he could take a look at the file he'd brought home with him, so that he could at least pass for Frank Donovan when he finally goes back to work; regarding that case, at least. _Why bother trying_, he thought, _if Frank's mind is going to overcome mine?_ He had to force himself not to dwell on that thought, as it would do no good to get himself more confused and nervous then he already was. All he could do is wait to see if it happened, or not.

They heard his sigh and thought it was an indication of how sick he felt. 

"Go to sleep, Frank. Maybe you'll feel better when you wake up," said Monica.

Ardeth nodded, as he put the empty glass on the night table_. I shall have to find out if they sell this 'orange juice' in Cairo if—when—I get back…_

********************

"Evy?"

Evy jumped slightly, from where she sat, as Rick scooted over to her. She was sitting next to Ardeth, worrying over him. It was the middle of the night, and the Med-jai was as motionless as ever. 

Rick said nothing as he wrapped his arms around his wife's waist. He knew how much Evy loved Ardeth—not a romantic love, he knew, but a love born out of gratitude for the help Ardeth had given them over the years; helping them get out of many, many scrapes, and saving their lives more then once. He sighed, Ardeth had become like a brother to him, too. 

"_Why_ won't he wake up?" she whispered.

Rick shook his head, hugging her tight. "I don't know, Evy." He sighed again. "I don't know."

Suddenly Jonathan let loose with a loud snore, and Rick grabbed some sand to throw at him, but Evy stopped him. "No, why should he stay awake all night worrying too?"

Rick dropped the sand. "Yeah. Maybe his snoring will wake Ardeth up."

Evy gave a short giggle at that, but stopped quickly, too upset to laugh. 

"Come on, Evy," said Rick, trying to cheer her up. "At least he's alive! He can't stay unconscious forever."

_Who's to say he won't?_ Evy thought. But she nodded, unconvincingly. 

Rick pulled her down so that her head was lying on his lap, hoping that she'd eventually fall asleep. They said nothing more, as they both kept the vigil over their fallen friend. 

'La' Egyptian Arabic for 'No.'

 'Ash in-naharda itqatil bukra!': 'Live today, fight tomorrow!' 

'Nagga il bint, qatil il masikh!': 'Save the girl, kill the creature!'


	7. Memories'

Ardeth didn't get to read that file until the third day of his illness, when Alex and Monica—who'd taken turns mother-henning him—finally left him alone, after seeing that he wasn't worsening. They told him he couldn't stop them from popping in to check up on him though, and Ardeth had given in to that, knowing that if he didn't, they'd probably _never_ leave.  

When Alex walked out the door, locking it tightly behind her, Ardeth heaved a sigh of relief. _Alone, finally! _He shook his head, wondering how Frank dealt with the two women. _They are as bad as Evy, in the mothering department,_ he thought. 

Reaching for the glass on his night table, he found that it was empty. _I should have had Alex refill it before she left._ Reluctantly, he got out of bed, and walked slowly into the kitchen, amazed that the illness could make his muscles ache so much. Looking around, he found that he had no idea where the orange juice was. 

With a sigh, he leaned against the counter, looking around the strange kitchen. He saw what resembled the O'Connell's 'ice box'; only this one was huge compared to theirs, and it had two doors side by side. He went over and, being right handed, automatically opened the door on the right. There, in front of his face, was a container that read, 'Orange Juice'. 

Ardeth smiled as he took it out, but it changed to a frown when he saw that there wasn't much left. He took it with him back to the bedroom, pausing when he passed the bathroom door. Putting the carton down, he went in the bathroom, and looked in the mirror.

To say that he was shocked when he first saw his reflection is an understatement. He stared at 'himself', still in utter amazement to see just how much Frank Donovan looked like him. The resemblance was exact; the only difference being that Frank had short hair. He shook his head as he left the bathroom, going back to the kitchen table to grab the file, and taking it and his precious OJ back to bed with him. 

He drank the rest of the orange juice, putting the empty carton on the night table, and opened the file. He managed to read the first few pages, before rubbing his eyes, willing away the headache and the all-around foggy feeling. _I should not complain, _he thought. _Frank's team believes that 'Frank's' strange behavior is due to this illness. I should be glad for the good timing._ No matter how much he tried to convince himself of the fact, however, Ardeth Bay hated to be sick. _But then again, who doesn't?_ With a sigh, he closed his eyes, intending to rest for a minute.

Alex unlocked the door to Frank's apartment, and quietly crept inside, holding a gallon of orange juice. She opened the fridge and put it inside, noticing that the carton that had been there earlier was gone. Tiptoeing into Frank's room, she sighed to see him fast asleep with papers from the cop-killer's file strewn around the bed and on top of him. Shaking her head, she carefully picked them off him and put them back in the file.

As she carefully took one off his chest, Ardeth made a noise and shifted slightly. Alex froze where she was, paper half on, half off him, hoping that she hadn't woken him. 

Ardeth exhaled deeply and continued to sleep, and Alex let out the breath she'd been unconsciously holding. _He can't leave the job at work even when he's sick,_ she thought, as she closed the file and put it on the night table.  

Watching him sleep, she wished Frank wasn't so hardheaded. _Why can't a man ever admit when he needs help?_ she thought. She felt horrible leaving him to fend for himself. _West Nile Virus is not a mere cold._ Unable to resist, she felt his forehead, and found his fever to be thankfully low. She took the empty glasses into the kitchen and washed them, throwing away the empty OJ carton. Grabbing a sticky note and a pen, she wrote, 'There's more OJ in the fridge' and snuck back into his room. Looking around, she tried to think of the most logical place to put it, where he would see it for sure. 

Seeing the folder, she went over and stuck the sticky paper on it, pulling the file forward so that he couldn't miss it. She stood back and watched him for another minute, seeing that he appeared to be in a deep sleep. _He'll be fine, you can leave him, Alex,_ she told herself. _He has a phone; he can call if he needs anything. _Going back to the night table, she took the folder, and added, 'Call me if you need anything' to the note, and put it back. 

As she left the apartment, she thought back to when they'd first met Frank. He seemed to be a hard-nosed, no nonsense, by-the-book type, and they thought they would have a hard time dealing with him for a boss. They eventually found out that it was a front, while he tried to figure out who _he_ was dealing with. Eventually Frank dropped the harsh exterior, and had been drawn into their tight circle. Truth by told, they couldn't have a better boss. He'd become their friend, and the four of them cared a lot for each other. 

Alex smiled. She and Monica drove the three men crazy, with their mother-henning. Cody usually escaped cases unscathed, with his 'indoor' job, but Jake and Frank sometimes got hurt. Usually it was a minor injury, like getting a black eye or bruised up in some way…but other times it was more serious. _Don't think about the 'other times',_ Alex told herself. Frank hated their mother-henning the most, always insisting he was fine, even when he was bleeding all over the place. She suspected that that was the reason she and Monica fussed over him more, because they knew that he wouldn't complain until pigs flew. 

Looking at her watch, she saw that she had plenty of time before suppertime to do a little shopping at Sak's and pick up a shirt she'd seen. She didn't know if Frank would get himself supper, so she would bring it to him.

********************

While Alex was reminiscing about the past year and a half, Ardeth was dreaming about it.

_"Take me instead!" he yelled, pointing a gun at a man holding a small child. The boy was obviously frightened, and Ardeth knew the man was kidnapping him. Suddenly Ardeth pulled the trigger, and the man fell; the child curling up on the ground, afraid to move._

_Ardeth knelt beside him and unwound the duct tape from the boy's wrists, before picking him up, and holding him close, in a comforting hug._

_Suddenly, Ardeth was thrown from that instance to another; walking into a room where a man had a gun pointed at Alex, forcing her to give Ardeth his demands. Ardeth was unarmed, and wanted nothing better then to shoot the man obviously holding Alex against her will. He had no chance to do anything before Alex was forced back, out of his sight. _

_The scene faded, and was replaced by him standing outside, watching a group of men—Jake included—walk out of a building. Suddenly he was talking into a walkie-talkie, telling officers not to shoot the man in the black sweater, but it was too late; they had already fired, and Jake went down. He appeared to be unhurt, however, and ran back into the building, with others from the group of criminals. _

_Then, suddenly Ardeth was running after a man, through a trailer park. He jumped and tackled him, knocking the criminal against one of the trailers. But before Ardeth had a chance to grab him, a shotgun blast blew unexpectedly through the wall of the trailer, so close to where he was standing that he nearly had a heart attack as he fell back. The owner of the trailer obviously didn't like people fighting outside it. Ardeth tried to get up quickly as the man took off running again._

Ardeth woke with a start, still hearing the echo of the shotgun in his mind. He sat up, wiping a hand over his face. For a minute, he genuinely wasn't sure who he was. _This is the body of Frank Donovan; year 2002. How can someone else's mind be in it?_ He shook his head. "Frank Donovan," he said. "Leader of a UC team in Chicago, Illinois. Hostage Negotiator, started career as a mere PD patrolman, worked my way up." He sighed, running his hands through his hair. _I'm sick,_ he thought, _was this whole Ardeth Bay thing a dream, a hallucination? _Suddenly it felt like a ton of bricks hit him. "Ardeth Bay," he said. "Leader of the Med-jai, in Egypt, 1934…" he groaned when his head stared to spin. _Who am I?_ he thought. _Frank Donovan, or Ardeth Bay? Both, _his mind told him. _I am Ardeth Bay's mind, in Frank Donovan's body, and Frank's mind is still here, trying to overcome me, and reclaim himself. _Ardeth couldn't blame him. _If I knew how to go back, I would,_ he thought, wondering if Frank's mind could hear what he was thinking. It was obvious that Frank's mind was still independently capable of thought; Ardeth being confused over his true identity being a good indication. _Is it possible that Frank's mind will take over? If so, then what happens to me? _

The thought made Ardeth more nervous then he already was, and he sat up, on the side of the bed with a sigh. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the file he'd been looking at, and was confused for a minute, not remembering having put it there. But then he saw the note on the front, and couldn't help but smile. _It must have been Alex,_ he thought, going into the kitchen and looking in surprise at the size of the orange juice carton in the fridge. He filled a glass and went into the living room, sitting on the couch. _What if I am able to keep my mind in this body, and live the rest of my life as Frank Donovan?_ The thought of being stuck there, and never seeing his Med-jai friends and family or the O'Connell's again was too terrible for words. _It is the year 2002; they are all most likely dead._ He closed his eyes, unable to accept the situation. "No," he said. "Whatever sent my mind into the future, Rick and Evy will find out, and remedy." He nodded his head, sure of it. "They will _not_ accept this, just as _I_ can not." The thought made him feel a little better. Mentally, at least.  


	8. Mank Moof

"Rick! This is _not_ normal!"

Rick sighed, in agreement. It was morning, and Ardeth still had not regained consciousness.

"I think we better get the old boy back to his camp," said Jonathan, from where he knelt beside Ardeth.

"You're right," Rick agreed. "Come on Jonathan, let's pack up the car quick."

Jonathan leapt up and followed, grabbing stuff along the way.

Evy sighed, as she sat by Ardeth's side. Checking his pulse for the umpteenth time, she found it to still be normal. _Then why is he still unconscious?_ "Ardeth?" she said, lightly tapping his cheek. "Ardeth, please wake up!"

Nothing.

Evy sighed again, near tears. _If only I hadn't come to these ruins, _she thought. _Ardeth would not have come, and this wouldn't've happened!_ She was so distraught, that she didn't notice that her husband and brother had finished and come back, until they started to lift Ardeth off the ground. She stood and followed them to the car, where they placed him in the back, Evy cradling his head in her lap.

"Oh dear," she said, suddenly.

"What?" Rick said, as he started the car.

"I know you intend to go as fast as this car can take us, but don't forget about Ardeth's horse," she said, looking to the beautiful jet-black stallion, which they'd tied to the car.

Rick muttered under his breath, realizing that he had to go slow enough for the horse to keep up. Gently hitting the gas, he watched the horse as the car crept forward, hoping it would start to gallop.

It did, and Rick was able to increase the speed, until he felt it was a good speed for both them, and the horse.

"If you notice the horse having trouble, let me know," he asked his wife.

"I will," she said, knowing Rick might forget about the animal.

"And tell us if Ardeth wakes up, too," Jonathan added, glancing at her over his shoulder.

She nodded back, with a sigh.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

By Monday, Ardeth was finally feeling better. He'd gotten tons of sleep over the past few days, and had enough time to read the file through a few times, and read the manual for the 'cell phone'. He figured out how to dial it, and how to find the team's stored phone numbers and left it at that, figuring that was good enough. He suspected that his mind was drawing on Frank's knowledge, for he found to his shock that he knew the words to a song playing on the 'tape deck' in the livingroom, which he had figured out how to use. Ardeth was utterly shocked, and now convinced that Frank's mind was still there, in his body. _How else would I know the words to a song I've never heard before, played in America years after my existence?_ Sitting on the couch, he sat back with a sigh, hoping the virus would finish going away, and not linger. He was still tired and his head ached, but not as badly, and his body was stiff from lying down for four days, but thankfully also not aching as bad. Barely realizing it, he started to fall asleep.

The door opened, and in walked Alex and Monica. They were surprised to hear music, and went into the livingroom to see 'Frank' sitting on the couch, head back, asleep.

"Frank?" Alex whispered.

Ardeth opened his eyes, not surprised at all to find Alex and Monica hovering over him.

"Time for your doctor visit," Alex said.

Ardeth groaned. He wasn't looking forward to going back.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Congratulations," said the doctor. "I notified the Health Department, and they told me that you are the _first_ human case of West Nile Virus in the state of Illinois!"

Ardeth gave him an exasperated look.

"Well, you look like you're doing better," said the doctor, cheerfully. "Feel any better?"

"A little."

"That's better then not at all," the doc said, rummaging through a drawer. Walking over, he popped a thermometer in Ardeth's mouth, who had no idea what he was supposed to do with it. No one gave him instructions, so he simply sat there with the strange object hanging out of his mouth, while the doctor rolled up Ardeth's sleeve to take more blood.

"Whoops," said the doc. "Sorry about that."

Looking down, Ardeth saw a bruise at the site of the blood test the doctor had done the other day. He frowned, wondering how a tiny needle could cause a bruise to surround the area.

The doctor took the blood from his right arm, this time pressing the gauze hard over the tiny hole, to stop internal bleeding before it began. "You shouldn't get a bruise this time," he said.

"Mank moof," Ardeth said, the thermometer still in his mouth.

Alex and Monica laughed, at his attempt to thank the doctor, as the doc took the thermometer, chuckling himself.

"Still have a fever," the doc said. "But it's low. Should go away soon."

"How much longer should he stay out of work? The whole week?" Alex asked.

Before answering, he looked at Ardeth. "Muscles still hurt? Head? Neck? Feel weak? You still look tired." At Ardeth's nods to each question, the doctor looked at Alex.

"I would advise it, yeah. West Nile is nothing to fool around with, especially in someone with a compromised immune system. Is he almost out of the medicine?"

Alex and Monica both nodded.

The doctor wrote up a new prescription, and handed it to Monica. "Have him finish both bottles, and set another appointment for, say, Thursday."

Monica nodded, taking the paper.

"Okay, son," said the doc. "You're free to go, back into the care of the two lovely ladies."

Ardeth's only answer to that was a sigh.

Alex and Monica laughed. "If you only _knew_, doc," said Alex.

"He _hates_ to be mother-henned," Monica told him.

The doctor tsk tsked, with a smile, as they left.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It took them a day and a half to reach the Med-jai camp. When they pulled up, Rick got out, looking for Ardeth's second in command.

"Rick!"

Rick turned around, nearly bumping into Safti.

"What are you doing here? Did Ardeth meet you at the ruins?" Safti said, shaking his hand.

Rick sighed. "Yeah…he did."

Safti picked up on his worried tone immediately. "What happened?"

Rick sighed. "He's unconscious, in the car. I thought it was better telling you this way instead of barreling into the camp and alarming everyone."

Safti nodded, with a nervous sigh, as he quickly followed Rick back to the vehicle. His nervousness doubled when he saw his chief and friend completely limp, lying across Evy's lap. He could see the tears in her eyes, and knew that it had to be serious.

"What happened?" he asked, as he opened the car door, looking his friend over for a wound.

"We aren't sure," Evy said. "We were all just standing there, looking at the pillars, when what I thought was lightning flashed, and hit him."

Safti's jaw dropped. "Lightning! Was there a storm?"

She shook her head with a frown, as Safti and Rick quickly carried him to a healer's tent, which was thankfully close by. They were grateful that it was dark enough for the tribe to not realize what was going on.

"Heat lightning?" Safti asked.

"There was only the one flash," Jonathan told him, watching as they laid their friend down. "It happened less then a half hour after he arrived."

Safti looked at him, in shock. "He has been unconscious for _three_ _days_!"

Everyone nodded.

Safti sighed, deeply. "I will return with the healer."

The O'Connell's sighed as Safti left. As much as they were relieved to now have Ardeth in the care of his people, they were afraid that whatever the healer found would not be good.

Evy saw a pitcher of water, and grabbed it, carefully dribbling water between Ardeth's lips, as they waited for Safti to come back.

Safti returned quickly with an old woman, who looked at her patient in anguished concern. "What has he gotten into _now_?" she mumbled, quickly kneeling beside him.

They watched as the woman thoroughly examined Ardeth, noting the occasional sighs she emitted. Finally she sat back on her knees, with another sigh.

"Well?" Evy said, impatiently.

"I can not find a reason for his prolonged unconsciousness," she said. "Was it exactly as Safti told me? You left nothing out?"

They shook their heads. "I was with him," said Rick. "We were talking. Suddenly, wham! Flash of bright light, and when I could see again, he was lying on the sand."

The old woman just sat there, looking at Rick, thinking.

"Shatira?" said Safti, when the silence continued.

"Did you notice any clouds in the sky?" she asked.

The O'Connells looked at each other, shaking their heads.

"I didn't notice any, there was full sunlight, I had to shield my eyes while trying to read the pillars," Evy said.

"There were _no_ clouds," Jonathan stated. "I was looking up at the sky right before it happened."

Everyone looked at him, as if wondering why.

He gave them a sheepish look. "It was so bloody hot I was wishing we were in England. You know, cool, wet…"

"This does not sound consistent with a lightning strike," Shatira concluded. "Especially taking into account that he has not a mark on him."

"Yeah, we wondered about that too," said Rick.

"So what do we _do_?" Jonathan asked.

Shatira shook her head. "I am not sure. You say you were merely talking when it happened?"

Rick nodded.

"Do you think it has something to do with the ruins?" Evy suddenly asked.

Shatira made a face as if to say, 'perhaps'.

"Oh great," Rick moaned. "More unexplained ancient traps!"

"So are you saying we have to take Ardeth back there, and try to recreate what happened in the hope that it'll bring him back?" Evy asked.

Shatira nodded. "It is a possibility."

"Okay, then. When do we leave?" said Rick, impatiently.

Safti sighed. He wanted to leave at that very moment, but he knew the O'Connell's had to be tired. "Tomorrow, after a good nights rest."

The O'Connell's nodded, understanding Safti's reasoning, but they all knew they wouldn't get much sleep that night.


	9. Ardeth Drives Frank's Car! GASP LOLOL

By Thursday, Ardeth was feeling much better. Alex took him to the doctor again, who pronounced that he was recovering nicely and didn't have to see him again, to Ardeth's relief. Alex had taken him home and told him to get more rest, as he'd be back to chasing criminals around the state all too soon. 

Ardeth earnestly hoped the O'Connell's would figure out how to get him back before then. He honestly had no idea what he would do if he had to work at Frank's job. 

With a sigh, he went to the fridge to get some orange juice. Opening the door, he saw that the bottle only had a little left_. I can not ask Alex to get me some,_ he thought. _I am not as sick as I was, there's no reason I can not get it myself. _He realized that he was going to have to drive Frank's car if he were to remain in the future much longer, so he might as well get used to it now. 

Looking around for the keys, he found them on a table in the living room, next to a strange looking black leather object. Opening it, Ardeth found a card with his picture on it and money. _Of course, I will need to pay for the juice._ Looking at the card, Ardeth realized it was something he needed to keep with him. 'Illinois Driver's License' was written on it, and he tried to figure out what the numbers meant. "Donor: yes?" _Donating what?_ he wondered. "Blood type, O+." _I wonder if mine is the same?_ He stuck the license back in, putting the wallet in a pocket. 

He sighed nervously as he went down to the parking garage, and over to Frank's car. He looked at it for a minute, noting the absolute perfect shape it was in. _I hope it still is,_ _after I have gone back to my time. _He had been there a full week now, but he tried to stay optimistic that his friends would somehow discover how to get him back. 

Ardeth figured out which key unlocked the door, and he got in. As he looked for the ignition, he sighed in relief that Rick had showed him how to drive his car a few times. The inside of this car was very different, however; the steering wheel being on the left side, rather then the right like in Rick's. 

He found the ignition, and figured out which key started the car, smiling when the engine came alive, humming softly. Ardeth started to put his foot on the clutch, but couldn't find it. Frowning, he looked at the floor to see only two pedals. Confused, he looked to see if it was somewhere else, but saw nothing. _Maybe a clutch is no longer needed?_ Looking at the shift between the seats, he saw that it could be placed in park, reverse, neutral, drive, 1 and 2. He saw no indication of gears, so he figured his assumption was correct; that there was no clutch. Looking over to the glove box, he reached over and opened it, hoping there was a manual inside. Seeing a booklet, he took it out. "2002 Volvo S80," he read. With a sigh of relief, he opened it. "Congratulations on owning the finest luxury car the world has to offer." Skipping over the pleasantries, he looked for information that he could use. 

Reading the manual quickly, he found out much that he needed to know, and understood it all, surprisingly; thanks to Frank's mind still inhabiting his body, no doubt. Ardeth put the car in 'drive', and slowly crept out of the parking garage. He tried to remember where the market he'd seen was located, and took a right turn, onto the main road. _Red means stop, yellow means slow, green means go…_ A few minutes later, he somehow managed to find the store, the car thankfully still in one piece. 

The inside of the market surprised him, to say the least; he couldn't believe all the shelves full of so many different foods. He knew that buying anything more then orange juice wasn't a good idea; for Frank would be stuck with what Ardeth had bought, and it might be a waste of his money. _Not to mention he won't understand why 'he' bought it in the first place._ Ardeth wandered around until he finally found the orange juice, and took the gallon to the checkout, without even thinking of where it was. _I hope Frank's mind also helps me when it comes time for me to pay,_ he thought. 

The young girl at the counter rang up the juice. "2.79."

Ardeth looked in Frank's wallet, hoping he would know how much to give her, but nothing came into his mind. 

The cashier watched in shock when Ardeth took out a wad of bills, taking off the one on top. 

"Is this enough?" he asked, holding up a $100.

"Uh…" the girl said, her mouth hanging open.

"I am sorry," said Ardeth, speaking with his own accent, rather then Frank's lighter one. "I do not know American money."

"Oh," she said. "Do you have any smaller bills?"

Ardeth flipped through them, and held up a $50. "Small enough?"

_Man, this guy's rich!_ the cashier thought. _And gorgeous!_ "Umm, anything smaller?"

"Let me help you, son," said a voice behind him.

Turning, Ardeth saw an old woman, who smiled at him. "All right," he said, hanging her the whole wad of bills, to her surprise. 

"Let's see," said the woman, flustered to see that he had more large bills then small ones. "Aha, you have three $1's, but you also have three $5's," she said. "If you pay with the $1's, you'll have none left. If you pay with a $5, you'll get two $1's back, and some change, so now you'll have five $1's. Does that make sense to you?"

Ardeth hung on her every word, and nodded to show her that he did understand. 

"Good," she said with a smile, handing him back his money, and patting him on the arm.

"Thank you," he said. "Or, as they say in my country, 'shukran'."

Her smile grew. "You're very welcome."

Ardeth gave the cashier the money, and got back his change. Taking his orange juice, he went back out to the car, and got in it with a sigh. The woman who'd helped him reminded him of his grandmother. _I must get back home!_ he thought, sadly. His headache, which had finally dwindled, suddenly increased, and he wondered if it was due to his distress, or if his body wasn't recovered enough to go out yet. _Probably both. Good thing I only came for one item,_ he thought, as he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. 

When he pulled into Frank's regular spot in the parking garage, Ardeth sighed in utter relief that he had driven Frank's car without incident, and couldn't help but wish that the Volvo S80 was around in his time. He suddenly saw Alex and Jake walking towards the door to the building. Alex spotted him, and they walked over.

"Where did you go?" she asked, before she saw the bottle of OJ. "We would've gotten that for you! How do you feel?

"I'm all right, Alex," he said, as they walked into the building. 

She studied him, as if trying to tell if he was lying, but said nothing more until they reached Frank's door, and went inside. 

"We had a phone call from Chief Morgan," Jake said. 

Ardeth looked at him, as he poured some juice into a glass, wondering who Jake was talking about.

"He wants you to do an undercover stint for him."

Ardeth took a deep breath, trying to calm his suddenly racing heart. "What does the job entail?" he asked, as he sat on the couch with his drink. 

"Officer Tony Merlino was going undercover as a drug dealer," Jake continued, sitting in the chair across from the couch. "To take out one of the worst drug kingpins in the state; Tito Montoya. Turned out Merlino's father-in-law died, and he has to go out of state for the funeral, and can't make the meet."

"When is 'the meet'?" Ardeth asked.

"Tonight."

Ardeth nearly choked on his juice. _Why am I so nervous, it can't be much different then what I do as a Med-jai,_ he thought. 

"I told him you were sick. He hadn't known," Jake continued. "Can you believe it, a cop that doesn't watch the news?" he said, with a laugh.

Ardeth frowned. _I made the news because I was sick? Ah, the doctor said I was the first case of West Nile in the state…_

"Morgan told me that Montoya hadn't seen the cop, only knowing him by his description; 6'1, dark hair, goatee."

They both looked at him, and Ardeth figured out why. "Sounds like me."

"Exactly," said Alex. 

Ardeth understood why they wanted Frank to do the job. Feeling that he had no choice, he nervously agreed. 


	10. Ardeth Bay: Undercover Agent

Rick, Evy, Jonathan, Safti, and Shatira rode through the desert in Rick's car, with the still unconscious Ardeth. 

"I think you're right, Shatira," Evy said. "This _must_ be the answer. For Ardeth to be unconscious for four days makes no sense, otherwise."

Shatira nodded.

"So if that beam emitted from one of the pillars, what exactly do you think it _did_ to him?" Jonathan asked. "I mean, it must've served some purpose...most likely a bad one..."

They all looked to Shatira, not having thought of that.

Shatira sighed. "We will not know until Ardeth awakens. I have not heard of anything like this having ever occurred, at those ruins."

"It figures that we'd be the first," Rick said, over his shoulder as he drove. 

They arrived a few hours later, late in the night.  

Rick stopped the car, facing the spot where he and Ardeth had been standing, keeping his car's lights on to illuminate the area. 

Everyone got out, Evy remaining with Ardeth.

"He was standing right here," said Rick, walking to the spot. 

Safti and Shatira looked around the place that Rick indicated, but it was too dark to see much. 

"It appears we shall have to wait till morning," Shatira told them.

Evy sighed, upon hearing that. She wanted nothing more then for Ardeth to wake up. It was nearly impossible to get water into him; they'd had to do with trickling drops between his lips. If he remained unconscious much longer, he would die from dehydration. 

********************

"Tito Montoya," said Monica, standing in front of the table that the rest of the team sat at. "Big time drug kingpin. Has reportedly supplied drugs to dealers in all of the Midwestern states, but the cops could never catch him in the act. Whenever they searched the house he was living in, they never found a single thing to implicate him. When they found him here in Illinois, they got lucky enough to get an officer in his circle through one of Montoya's regulars. Frank, that's where _you_ come in."

Ardeth nodded, sighing inwardly.

"Your name will be, conveniently, Frankie," she continued.

"Frankie!" Cody snorted. He spared a glance at Frank, expecting to get a glare from his boss, but instead saw a slight smile, to his surprise. 

"Frankie Vasquez is the name Merlino was using. You're to meet Montoya at the dock of Lake Michigan tonight at 10pm," Monica told him.

Ardeth sighed again. He was still tired, not yet recovered from his illness. By 10pm he'd likely be more asleep then awake. 

"You all right, Frank?" Alex asked, seeing his weariness. "You're not up to this," she stated, before he had a chance to answer. "Let me call Morgan, and tell him you can't do it…"

"Alex," Ardeth said, exhaling loudly. "I _have_ to do it. If there was someone else, Morgan would've asked them."

Alex sighed, herself, having a bad feeling about the whole thing. 

********************

"Frank?"

Ardeth opened his eyes, to see Jake standing above him. "It's almost time to go."

Ardeth nodded, sitting up. Alex had convinced him to get some sleep on the couch, before the job. Ardeth had thought it a good idea, hoping that when he awoke he'd be more alert, and free of the headache. 

To Ardeth's dismay, he found that the headache was no better at all, and instead of feeling alert, he felt groggy. He rubbed his hands over his face with a soft groan, forgetting he was being watched.

"Frank?"

He looked up into the faces belonging to all four members of his team. "I'm fine," he said, before anyone had a chance to ask.

"No you're not," said Alex, as adamant as usual. "Call it off. So what if he isn't caught tonight? We'll have another chance someday."

At that, Ardeth shook his head. "No, Alex. I won't allow him to go free when we could take him down and end his drug business! People will die, if we don't do this." He blinked, realizing that Frank Donovan was talking, not Ardeth Bay.

"_You_ could die, if we _do_ do this," Alex said, softly. "You're not recovered yet! Do you know how pale you still look?"

Ardeth sighed and stood; wordlessly taking the gun from her that she'd loaded for him. He put it in his holster and took the tiny voice receiver that Cody handed him, sticking it to the underside of the collar on his shirt. He did it all without even thinking, realizing that Frank's mind seemed to be taking over. "I'll be fine, Alex," he said, picking up the black suit jacket, and putting it on. 

Alex shook her head, with a sigh. This was Frank's job, and he was good at it. There was nothing she could do to stop him. 

********************

Ardeth stood at the dock, looking out over the lake. There was a chill in the air, and it was dead quiet. The silence served to make him more nervous about the situation; he wasn't sure if he would be able to pull it off. He had to be an actor, and convince Montoya that he was just another drug dealer; not a cop, and certainly not a person that didn't know how to _be_ the cop that he was supposed to be.

Suddenly Ardeth heard footsteps, and his heartbeat quickened. _Donovan, if you are in there, you have my permission to take over; for now, at least._ Turning around, he saw two men approaching, and tried to appear nonchalant.

"Frankie Vasquez," said the man in front, a short, slightly overweight man with slicked back hair, and more then a hint of a Spanish accent.

"Tito Montoya," Ardeth replied, as they shook hands. 

"_Hola_! You're just as I pictured ya," Montoya said. Then he gestured to Ardeth's jacket. "What's with the piece?"

_Piece?_ Ardeth realized Montoya meant his gun. "With a job like this, a guy's gotta have protection," he said, without thinking. _Keep talking, Frank!_ he thought.

Montoya laughed. "True. But even so, I'd rather hold onto it until the conclusion of our transaction." He reached over and took it out of Ardeth's shoulder holster, handing it to his goon.

Ardeth tried not to show his anxiety. "Where's the stuff?" _Stuff?_

"Elsewhere," Montoya said. "Follow me, _por favor_."

"Crap!" said Cody, from inside the van, where they were all listening. "They're taking him somewhere!"

"And they took his gun!" said Monica, nervously.

"I _told_ Frank not to do it," Alex moaned. "I _told_ him…"

"Shhh!" said Jake.

Montoya and the other man lead Ardeth to a brand new Lincoln Town Car. They got in, with the unnamed man driving.

Montoya said nothing during the trip, and so Ardeth likewise kept quiet, staring out the window, knowing that the team was following—discreetly—in the van. 

They pulled up to a big, fancy house, and got out of the car. Ardeth followed Montoya in—Montoya's goon behind him, blocking any chance of escape, Ardeth assumed—and they stopped at a door, which Montoya opened, beckoning Ardeth inside. 

Ardeth walked in quickly, and turned to face Montoya, wondering what he was planning. His mind—or was it Frank's mind?—was screaming, _Trap! _He watched as Montoya whispered something to the other man, who left the room, closing the door behind him. 

"So, how do you like this room? Fascinating, no?"

Ardeth pretended he suspected nothing, and looked around. The room was full of weapons. Mounted on the walls were swords of every kind, as well as dueling pistols, crossbows, even a battle-axe and a mace. 

"You're a weapons collector," Ardeth stated.

Montoya nodded. "That's right. But you already knew that, _polizonte_. Cop."

Ardeth felt his blood run cold. He made a face as if he didn't know what Montoya was talking about. "Cop?" he started to laugh. _Monica said nothing about Montoya collecting weapons…_

Montoya laughed too. "That's right: _cop_. C-O-P. You know, the boys in blue who like to put law abiding citizens like myself in jail."

_Law abiding?!_ Ardeth opened his mouth to dispute that, but then closed it, knowing that Montoya was trying to bait him into giving himself away.

Montoya saw that his trick didn't work, and started walking through the room. "No matter how many times the cops search my place, wherever I happen to be living, they never find anything. _Nada, ninguno cualquiera!_"

Ardeth was getting so nervous that he didn't even realize that he was understanding the Spanish words Montoya was speaking. "Look, _mi amigo_, I'm no cop. I'm just another 'law abiding citizen' like yourself, who likes to make money the easy way." The last statement was repulsive to Ardeth, but he was glad that Frank's mind was putting the words in his mouth. 

"Oh yeah?" said Montoya, stopping at the far end of the wall, and turning to face Ardeth. "Prove it."

'hola' Spanish for 'hello'

'por favor' 'please'

'polizonte' 'cop'

'nada' 'nothing'

'ninguno cualquiera' 'none whatsoever'

'mi amigo' 'my friend'


	11. Frank Donovan: Medjai Warrior

"I would like for you all to reenact exactly what occurred that day, before the incident," said Shatira.

"Well, I was standing here," said Evy, walking over to the pillar. "And Ardeth came over, and I asked him what these symbols meant." 

Shatira and Safti followed, and peered at them. "And what did he tell you?" Safti asked.

"He didn't know."

Safti nodded. "No one knows."

"That's what he said." Evy sighed. "So then he went off with Rick, and I stayed here."

Everyone turned to Rick. 

"Right," he said. "Ardeth and I walked over here, shooting the breeze, you know, talking about stuff." He walked, and stopped. "This is where we stopped, and…" he thought.

"What?" asked Shatira.

Rick made a face, as he remembered. "He looked at this pillar."

Everyone went closer, including Evy, who, when halfway there, turned and went back to her spot, remembering that she was supposed to stay there.

Safti and Shatira noticed that the same symbols from the other pillar were also on this one. 

"Which direction did the beam come from?" Safti asked.

"Uhh..." said Rick. "That way, I think…yeah, he was lying on his back facing this way, so I guess it came from...that pillar."

Everyone looked to where he was pointing, to see the tallest pillar of all. Nearly at the top was what looked like an opening.

"So the beam shot out of that bloody hole!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"It appears so," said Shatira. "Where were you, Jonathan?"

"Oh, I was over there," he gestured. "Doing nothing."

"Well, can you please go over there and reenact your 'doing nothing'?" she asked.

Jonathan started to laugh, before realizing she was serious. "Right."

Shaking his head at Jonathan as he left, Rick said, "So how do we get the thing to shoot the beam again? And how do we get it to hit Ardeth while he's lying there out cold?"

Everyone was silent for a minute, before Safti asked, "What exactly did Ardeth do right before the beam hit him?"

Rick shook his head, with a deep sigh. "I dunno, he walked over to the pillar," he said, doing the same. "And he looked at the symbols and…he touched them."

Shatira perked up. "He touched them?"

Rick nodded, with a shrug. "Yeah, but we _all_ touched the pillars before he got here."

"Yes, but if he touched those symbols, and Evy touched the same ones on the other pillar at the same time, perhaps…"

"It's worth a shot!" said Rick, excitedly. "So we gotta get him over to this thing, and have Evy touch the symbols on the one over there, and see what happens."

"Yes," Shatira said. "It is 'worth a shot', as you said."

Rick and Safti headed over to the tent wherein Ardeth lay. "How are we gonna stand him in the same spot he was in without getting hit ourselves?" Rick asked the Med-jai.

Safti looked at him, and sighed. "I am not sure."

"You think if we hold him up, and then let go when the beam shoots, we'll be able to catch him again before he hits the ground?" Rick asked.

Safti gave Rick the Med-jai version of a shrug. "I fear that may be the only way for us to do it."

"Yeah," Rick agreed, as he and Safti picked Ardeth up, and carried him over. 

"Uhh," they heard Jonathan's disembodied voice shout. "Since I obviously play no part in this, may I come out now?"

Shatira smiled at the Englishman's silliness. "Yes, Jonathan, you may come out!"

Jonathan ran over, with a sheepish look. "Phew. It was good to hear that I had nothing to do with the old boy's problem." He made a face and looked behind himself to make sure Evy hadn't heard him.

She apparently hadn't, as she watched from where she stood, her palm on the pillar. 

Rick and Safti held Ardeth up on either side, and Safti took Ardeth's arm, preparing to touch his hand to the symbols…

********************

"Well, Cody?!"

"I'm trying! I'm trying!"

The UC team was nearly beside themselves, hearing the conversation between Frank and Montoya, but not being able to see what was going on.

"BWAHAHAHA! Bingo!" Cody yelled. 

Everyone gathered around him, to see the inside of the room that Frank and Montoya were in. 

"Good thing he's got cameras! There's none in the world that I can't digitally infiltrate!" Cody said, proudly.

"Shut up!" Alex hissed. 

********************

"Prove it? How am I supposed to do that?" Ardeth asked the criminal. 

"Yeah, I guess there's no way for you to, huh?" Montoya started to laugh, walking closer to him. "Especially since we both know you _are_ a cop! Humm, lets see, you got a wife named Sheri, and two sweet little kids, right, Tony Merlino?"

_This is it,_ Ardeth thought. _I am probably going to die, now_…"You are right, Montoya," Ardeth said, walking closer. "I _am_ a cop, and you are under arrest!" With that, he pulled a second gun out from the small of his back, pointing it at Montoya. Unfortunately, Ardeth didn't know about the fireplace poker Montoya had behind his back, and, not having the experience that Frank Donovan had, didn't get a chance to shoot before Montoya swung it at the gun, hitting his wrist and sending the weapon flying.

Ardeth gasped when he felt a bone snap, and jumped back when Montoya swung the poker again, narrowly missing him. Montoya ran the short distance to the wall housing the swords, and grabbed one, holding it out towards Ardeth, menacingly.

Ardeth stood there, clutching his arm for maybe a second, before he dove towards the other wall, grabbing a scimitar off it with his left hand.

Montoya's confidence wavered when he saw the assurance Ardeth exuded, in handling the weapon. He was further surprised when Ardeth made the first attack. 

"What is he _doing_?!" Alex cried, as they watched the screen in shock. "Why doesn't he go for the gun? He's fighting with a _sword_! With his left hand, even!" 

"He's a man of many talents," said Cody, in awe.

Montoya was thinking the same thing, as Ardeth attacked him. He quickly regained his composure, and fought back, ferociously.

Ardeth hardly thought at all, his mind concentrating on the fight. He was surprised at the man's skill, and he wondered who had taught him, in this time period. Trying to ignore the pain of his broken wrist—which was tucked safely behind his back, at the moment—he tried to focus all his strength to the arm wielding the scimitar, which he really needed two hands to hold, due to its heaviness. He didn't have all of his strength, thanks to the sickness that he hadn't even recovered from, and was quickly tiring. 

Montoya saw this, and hope of getting away gave him the extra strength he needed. He feinted a move down low, but then brought the sword up, towards Ardeth's head.

Ardeth recognized the move and was able to step back in time, but the sword caught his arm enough to leave a painful gash. 

Suddenly a gunshot echoed outside, and Montoya jumped. Ardeth had his opportunity, and focused all his remaining strength in a blow that threw Montoya's sword against the wall. 

Montoya gasped, backing up with his hands raised. 

Breathing heavily, Ardeth advanced on him, pointing the sword at the criminal's chest, feeling as if he were about to drop it. 

A desk behind Montoya stopped him in his tracks, and he hurriedly scrambled around to the other side of it. 

"You," said Ardeth, trying to get his breath back. "Are…under…arrest."

"Search the house!" Montoya said. "You won't find _anything_. You _can't_ arrest me!"

"You _admitted_ it to me," said Ardeth. "You told me about your business."

"Your word against mine!"

"Your word against _ours_," said Ardeth. "People were listening, Montoya. Besides, you can add assault and attempted murder of a federal agent to the drug charges."

"Fe-federal agent? You aren't Merlino...?"

Ardeth shook his head, with a smile. 

At that moment the door opened, and Jake and Alex came running in. 

Ardeth turned to look at them, taking his eyes off his enemy for only a second, but it was one second to many.

"Look out!" Alex yelled.

Ardeth turned back to see that Montoya had quickly grabbed a gun from one of the desk drawers, but a shot from Jake's threw Montoya back, his weapon never having fired.

Ardeth just looked at him for a minute, realizing that after all this, he could've still gotten killed. He lowered the sword abruptly, dropping it as the adrenaline left him, and leaned against the desk for support. 

"Frank!" said Alex, running over to him, and grabbing him by the arms. 

Ardeth winced when she touched his sword wound, as she turned him around to face her. 

"Are you all right?" she asked.

Ardeth didn't bother to say 'yes' this time, as he knew she wouldn't believe it anyway. He let her check his wounds, knowing that it would be pointless to refuse her, as he knew she wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Your wrist is broken," she said, holding his arm gently, not even having to feel the bone to know; the massive swelling already forming making it apparent. "You probably need stitches in your arm. How do you feel?"

As she spoke, Ardeth suddenly felt a stabbing pain lace through his head, and he closed his eyes when his vision swam. It suddenly felt like something was ripped from his mind, and he gasped, abruptly collapsing.

"Jake!"

Jake turned, from making sure that Montoya was dead and reclaiming Frank's gun, to see Alex trying to gently lower Frank to the floor. He dashed over and grabbed him, helping her.

Looking Frank over, he saw that he was out cold. "It doesn't look like he's losing _that_ much blood..." Jake said. 

Alex shook her head. "I think it's the West Nile; he hasn't recovered yet, and look at the fight he just got into!"

At that moment, Monica and Cody came in, after having seen on the screen that it was safe.

"Oh no!" Monica exclaimed when she saw Frank lying on the floor. "Looks like the ambulance I called for Montoya will be put to better use," she said, with a sigh.


	12. There's No Place Like Home!

Safti touched Ardeth's hand to the symbols, and instantly a bright light filled their vision. He let go of Ardeth, hoping that Rick did too, but when he went to grab Ardeth again, he couldn't see him, blinded by the flash.

The same thing happened to Rick, who thought quickly and dropped to the sand where he figured Ardeth would land. Safti must've had the same idea, for Rick felt two bodies land on top of him, and he grunted. Knowing they could do nothing to help Ardeth while they couldn't see him, they simply laid there, blinking the light from their eyes, until they had their vision back. Quickly scrambling out from under Safti, Rick sat up, grabbing Ardeth's still-limp form.

"Ardeth!" he shouted. "You can wake up now, buddy!"

Shatira knelt beside them, while Evy and Jonathan ran over.

"Did it work!" Evy cried.

Before anyone could answer, they heard a groan.

"Ardeth!" everyone cried, in unison.

Ardeth opened his eyes slowly, saying nothing, staring up at everyone in confusion.

"Ardeth?" said Rick.

Ardeth blinked up at him. "Jake?" he said.

Everyone looked at each other as if to say, 'huh?'

"Ardeth! Thank God! It worked!" Evy said, clapping her hands happily.

Ardeth still said nothing, disoriented, not sure who or where he was. Suddenly he was pulled up gently, and a canteen was held to his dry lips.

"Slowly, Ardeth," said a voice he recognized. The canteen was pulled away all too soon. "A little at a time."

"Grandmother!" Ardeth said, finally snapping into reality, and trying to sit up. _I am home! They figured out how to get me home! _

He was held back in the half-sitting up position firmly by Safti and Rick, and given more water.

"Shh," Shatira said. "Do not move, Ardeth; rest, save your strength, you've been unconscious for five days, your muscles are probably weak and stiff from non-use."

Ardeth shifted his body, and found that she was right. "Feels just like West Nile," he mumbled, voice sounding scratchy.

"Huh?" said Rick.

"Hush," Shatira told them, seeing the dazed look in Ardeth's eyes.

No one said anything as they watched Ardeth, wondering what was going through his mind, and whether or not he was really all right.

Ardeth closed his eyes, trying to make sense of everything, not understanding why it was being so hard. _My mind has finally come back to my body,_ he thought. _I suppose it will take a little time for it to adjust. _Those words were like music to his ears. _My mind has come back to my body_…he sighed in relief.

Everyone heard it, and thought something was wrong.

"Ardeth?" Safti said, worriedly.

Ardeth opened his eyes, and smiled at his friend to let him know he was all right. "What happened to me, that day?" he asked.

"One of the pillars shot a beam, and it hit you. That was five days ago!" Rick told him.

"Five days," Ardeth repeated. He looked amazed. "Time passed more slowly here..."

"What?" Evy asked.

"While my body was unconscious here...my mind was somewhere else. That beam sent my mind into the future, into the body of a man named Frank Donovan."

"WHAT!" everyone exclaimed.

He nodded. "It was the year 2002, and I was in America; the head of a team of law enforcement agents who handle special cases."

The looks everyone gave him were priceless. Ardeth wondered if they thought him mad.

"What's this 'West Nile' you mentioned?" Safti asked.

"West Nile Virus, a disease that will soon be discovered in Africa, and spread to America." Ardeth answered, tiredly. "A sickness that I suffered while in Frank Donovan's body."

"Oh, Ardeth!" said Evy, taking his hand and stroking it gently, in compassion.

"Hush, now," said Shatira. "He needs to rest, and regain his strength. Sleep, grandson."

Ardeth nearly argued with her that according to them his body rested for five days, but before he had the chance he fell asleep in her arms.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Frank?"

Frank Donovan opened his eyes, looking at the four faces above him.

The faces smiled at him, but Frank just stared back, confused.

"Frank?" Monica said, unnerved.

"What happened?" he asked.

Jake frowned. "You don't remember?"

Frank shook his head, slowly, feeling groggy.

"You did a stint for Morgan, going UC as a drug dealer to capture Tito Montoya."

Frank's eyebrows rose. He vaguely remembered being in a house with the man, and fighting him with a sword.

"We never knew you could do _that_, Frank," said Cody, as if reading his mind.

Frank smiled. "There's a lot about me you don't know." _There's a lot about me I don't know! _He'd done fencing in his time, but never fought with a sword as heavy as a scimitar. He didn't know what possessed him to choose that sword over Montoya's lighter ones.

"How long have I been in here?" Frank asked, seeing his hospital room surroundings.

"Less then a day, it's nearly 5pm. Montoya happened last night," Alex said. "They stitched your arm, but it was a while before they were able to cast your wrist; they had to bring the swelling down first. How do you feel?"

Frank brought his left hand up to rub an eye, wincing when it pulled at the stitches. "Like I've been out of it for a week."

"You have," said Cody, with a snort.

"Ready to get out of here?" Monica said. "The docs told us when you woke up, they'd look you over and probably let you leave. You're not injured enough to warrant a lengthy stay."

"Thank God," Frank said, about to reach over to pull the IV out of his left hand, but the cast on his right wrist prevented him. He frowned. "Than why am I here?" He remembered nothing after the fight with Montoya.

"You passed out," said Alex. "You weren't fit for that fight! You should've listened to us."

Frank shook his head, memories of the past week fuzzy.

The doctors looked him over, and made him promise to finish the medicine he'd been given for the West Nile, and sent him home, telling him to rest.

Frank sighed with relief when he walked into his apartment, puzzled to feel like he'd hardly been there for a week. He didn't let the women stay to mother-hen him, insisting that he was fine and just wanted to get some sleep. Thirsty, he went to his fridge, and found the bottle of orange juice. Using his stitched arm carefully—since his right wrist was in a sling—he poured himself a glass, wondering when he'd started to like orange juice so much.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ardeth opened his eyes, looking around in confusion. He was in his own tent, and he wondered for a minute if the whole thing had been a dream.

Suddenly the tent flap opened, and Evy came in. "You're awake! How do you feel?"

"I am all right," he said. "Did all that really happen?" he asked, still unsure.

Evy nodded. "You gave us quite a scare. We couldn't understand why you wouldn't wake up."

"I am sorry to have worried you," he said, feeling bad about it.

Evy made a face. "Sorry? It wasn't your fault!" She sighed. "My being nosy is to blame."

Ardeth shook his head. "There is nothing wrong with being curious to know how things came to be, Evy. Too many people fail to appreciate ancient objects."

"You two done assuming blame?" they heard, as Rick came into the tent. "How you feeling, buddy?"

"Fine."

"Sure." Rick sat on the right side of him. "You hungry?"

"Oh!" said Evy. "That's what I came here to find out. You _must_ be! I'll be right back."

Rick shook his head, smiling, as Evy left. He looked at Ardeth again, with concern. "So, you're really okay?"

Ardeth nodded.

"Good," Rick said, with a phew. "When we realized the beam came out of that pillar, we wondered if it had hurt you, or something."

Ardeth nodded. "Aside from having my mind ripped from my body and sent through time, it has done me no harm."

Rick's jaw dropped, when he saw the twinkle in Ardeth's eye. "You made a joke? EVY!" he shouted. "Ardeth made a joke!"

Ardeth couldn't help but laugh.

Rick stood, shaking his head with a smile. "Speaking of Evy, I'll go find out what's taking her so long. Knowing her, she's probably bringing you enough food to feed an army."

Ardeth nodded. "Yes, she loves to mother hen, just as Alex and Monica do."

"Who?"

"I shall explain later. First, I have a favor to ask of you," Ardeth said.

Rick nodded. "Anything."

Ardeth hesitated. "Could you find out for me if they have already invented 'orange juice'?"

THE END

Hey everyone! Remember Ardeth's grandmother from, 'Wise One'? My friend Karri thought she was great and begged me to write another story with her, and she fit into this one very well, wouldn't you say? LOL! (She's in my next Mummy story too!) Thanks for reading and reviewing!

'La' Egyptian Arabic for 'No.'

'Ash in-naharda itqatil bukra!' 'Live today, fight tomorrow!'

'Nagga il bint, qatil il masikh!' 'Save the girl, kill the creature!'

'Shatira' 'Wise One'

'hola' Spanish for 'hello'

'por favor' Spanish for 'please'

'nada' Spanish for 'nothing'

'ninguno cualquiera' Spanish for 'none whatsoever'

'mi amigo' Spanish for 'my friend'


End file.
